I am the editor-in-chief and co-founder of QuillandPad.com. Beyond that, I contribute my horological expertise to a variety of magazines, websites and publications all over the world. With more than two decades' experience covering the watch industry, my stories focus on the unusual, ultra-luxurious, sometimes limited and always artistic products, events, and figures that make horology so colorful. Check out my Facebook pages for interesting tidbits and current published work, follow me on Twitter @doerrelizabeth and @quillandpad, watch my videos on thewatches.tv or read my unique book on 12 independent horological artists entitled '12 Faces of Time.'

11/16/2012 @ 3:42PM5,863 views

Formula 1 Fraternity: Audemars Piguet and Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher is one of the most successful athletes of all time. He has racked up a total of honors and records like no other Formula 1 driver: the most world championships (7); the greatest number of Grand Prix victories (91); the greatest number of victories in a single season (13 in 2004); the greatest number of pole positions (68); the greatest number of podium finishes (155); and the greatest number of fastest laps recorded in a single Grand Prix (76). Additionally, his career earnings are projected at $823 million, which makes him the second richest sportsman of all time, surpassed only by Tiger Woods. When you look at these stats, it becomes apparent that he doesn’t need a new commercial collaboration with Audemars Piguet – which leaves only one possibility, and a refreshing one at that: he genuinely likes watches and this brand.

Michael Schumacher

By his own admission, Schumacher was introduced to the world of horology through his friend and team principal at Scuderia Ferrari, Jean Todt. Todt has long been known in the watchmaking world as somewhat of a connoisseur and must have quite a collection by now when I think about all the images I’ve seen of him wearing spectacular and complicated timepieces by various luxury watchmakers.

Schumacher has meanwhile also developed a taste for complicated watches, though he explains that it is indeed the visuals that draw him to a particular timepiece. “I got fascinated at the time with the [Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore] Arnold Schwarzenegger models, this was my initial step. It was not so much the complications that I was particularly looking for.”

Schumacher’s professional life is currently leaving the fast lane. After having retired from the Ferrari team as a seven-time world champion (two earned with the Benetton team in 1994-1995 and five with Ferrari 2000-2004), he returned to racing simply because he missed it. Unfortunately, his recent work with the Mercedes team was not as successful as his first go-round. Having just announced his final retirement a few weeks ago, it seems that Schumacher has now found another avenue for his creativity.

“It was a fascinating experience to work with Michael,” said Audemars Piguet’s chief artistic officer, Octavio Garcia. “He is a long-standing and avid collector of wristwatches and he really understands the mechanics that go into a watch and the difficulties faced in creating one. He had many interesting and technical conversations with both the designers and engineers on the 17-month project and clearly found a great deal of associations between his trade and ours. Much of his input was based around the racing environment, and he wanted to create a watch that conveyed that. His car, for example, is quite monochromatic and that is reflected in the use of shades of grey and anthracite. He was also very concerned with ergonomics and wanted a certain softness to the look of the watch, especially to the push pieces.”

The Royal Oak Offshore Michael Schumacher in titanium with a cermet bezel

“I was regularly sitting together with Octavio in either his office or my office because we don’t live very far apart, so basically from scratch we designed this Royal Oak Offshore in terms of colors, details and so on. I had full freedom,” Schumacher explained of the collaboration with the brand that was announced two years ago on the occasion of 2010’s Race of Champions. “Together, we found a way that we enjoyed together.”

This first collaboration is a set of three limited editions of Royal Oak Offshore models enhanced with personal details dictated by Schumacher and creatively put into play by the talented Garcia. The powerful 44 mm case available in titanium (1,000 pieces), 18-karat red gold (500 pieces) and platinum (100 pieces) allow the consumer three choices that are each very different from the other despite having the same “base.”

The Royal Oak Offshore Michael Schumacher in red gold with a cermet bezel and Mega Tapisserie pattern on the dial

The anthracite-colored dial of the red gold model boasts a Mega Tapisserie guilloché pattern typical of Audemars Piguet’s watches, which is framed by a tachymeter scale with something no other watch has: between 12 and 1 o’clock the careful observer will see two blue and five red stars symbolizing Schumacher’s seven world championships. “I have seven titles to my name, and if you look you will find seven stars on the dial; two are blue – those are the days of Benetton – and five red ones for the days of Ferrari. One of the dials looks a little bit like a checkered flag, you see the red color that is my ‘passionate’ color, and if you turn it over, not only will you find my name [etched in relief on the 22-karat gold rotor] but also my personal logo,” Schumacher explained of his ideas for the design details. Additionally, the colors of the chronograph totalizers’ raised outlines look subtly like instruments of a racecar’s dashboard. The date has been given red numerals, a premier for the Royal Oak Offshore line. “I asked for some transparency to see what happens inside the watch. This is something I like a lot, to see details.”

“First you see an Audemars Piguet watch, very fascinating, new colors, new direction, and if you look closer, you understand what makes it a Michael Schumacher watch,” the iconic race driver explained of the design work he was very obviously proud of during the October launch of the timepiece in Berlin.

“Resilience was also an important factor for Michael, which is why he decided to choose cermet for the bezel,” Garcia explained. “It’s a very tough, virtually scratchproof combination of ceramic and metal that suits his lifestyle both in his work and his free time, when he takes part in many high-adrenaline sports, which range from motorcycling to parachuting.”

The Royal Oak Offshore Michael Schumacher in platinum with a cermet bezel and Mega Tapisserie pattern on the dial

The striking octagonal bezel of the Royal Oak Offshore line has become exceptional in cermet, a ceramic/metal composite seven times harder than steel. Its look is enhanced and protected by eight screws that depart from the usual Royal Oak examples with their sporty style. “I am a man who wears watches while doing everything, whether I’m working on a go-cart or racecars or whatever. I really wanted cermet to be part of this watch in order to make it more robust, particularly in the areas where you might bump the watch and it might leave a little mark. It’s such a shame to see a mark on such a beautiful watch; you want it to be perfect,” Schumacher continued.

This weekend’s Formula 1 Grand Prix race in Austin, Texas will be Schumacher’s second-to-last race ever. His final race takes place next weekend in Sao Paulo, Brazil at the last Formula 1 event of the season. After that, you can see him in action as he continues to collaborate with Audemars Piguet. I am more than certain that future timepieces will be at least as exciting as what he has shown us on the racetrack for the last 22 years since entering the world of Formula 1 – without the danger of crashing, of course. “Time and interest in watches will always remain. At the end of the year, I will have more time to be creative. I very much look forward to developing new projects,” he said in Berlin.

Perhaps as a watchmaker? “I wouldn’t be patient enough,” he explained, dismissing the idea immediately. “It’s a really tough job, so highly focused with so much precision all day long. There are common happenings with my world, though, in terms of the method how you assemble a watch and the process you go through. Building a car or building a watch, there are a lot of common things: technical specifications, machines and stuff. It’s very fascinating. You begin to understand why they’re so expensive.”

Michael Schumacher will soon have plenty of time to devote to the creative side of his passion for watches

“[My career success has been] a combination of many things: you have to obviously be very passionate, have a lot of energy, be very disciplined, and motivate other people around you…at the end of the day it’s like a watch; there are so many little pieces, and could it function if there is a single one missing? No. To make it function precisely, everything has to work together. And that’s the same in motorsports.” Schumacher will be missed in racing, but the world of watchmaking is very glad to receive him. And this I say with an eye to the not-so-distant future.

Post Your Comment

Post Your Reply

Forbes writers have the ability to call out member comments they find particularly interesting. Called-out comments are highlighted across the Forbes network. You'll be notified if your comment is called out.